LASK vs Liverpool Prediction: Betting Tips & Odds

LASK were 4-0 down on aggregate to Celtic in August and looked bound for the Europa League.

They won the second leg 5-1 after extra time, and now they get Liverpool at the Raiffeisen Arena on Thursday morning NZT, with a 5:45am kickoff, in round two of the Champions League league phase. Liverpool arrive off a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City and with their forward line in a mess.

I’ve dug into form and team news for this LASK vs Liverpool preview, and I’m not convinced the visitors stroll through it.

My pick pays $2.60, and it’s a handy spot to put any free bets to work.

LASK

I’ve got a soft spot for this LASK team.

Their Celtic comeback was so good. Callum McGregor scored after 21 minutes to put the Scots 4-0 up on aggregate, and LASK still turned it around, with Samuel Adeniran scoring the winner in the 109th minute.

Results have dipped since. They’re winless in four competitive games, starting with a 1-0 loss at AEK Athens in their league-phase opener. Rapid Wien then won 2-0 in Linz on Sunday.

But I wouldn’t call their attack blunt. Sascha Horvath pulls the strings in midfield and Moses Usor gives them pace on the break.

If you’re after football tips with a LASK flavour, Florian Flecker is my pick of their attackers. He scored the opener against Liverpool in this stadium in 2023 and was on target against Celtic too.

Team News: Andrade and Harakate are injured.

Predicted Lineup: Jungwirth; Tornich, Alemao, Mbuyamba; Flecker, Bogarde, Horvath, Ljubicic, Bello; Usor, Adeniran.

Liverpool

Sunday’s game against City was even and short on chances until Ryan Gravenberch saw a second yellow.

City scored three times in the final half-hour after that, with Erling Haaland getting the first. Gravenberch’s ban only applies domestically, so he’s free to play here.

What worries me more is their front line. With their first-choice strikers all injured, Lewis Koumas got his first Premier League start up front, and Liverpool created very little before the red card.

That’s been a theme. Seven goals in six league games is a thin return for this squad, and I think Brentford away on Saturday means plenty of changes in Austria. Federico Chiesa came off the bench against City and could get a start.

Team News: Isak, Gakpo and Szoboszlai are racing the clock. Ekitike is out.

Predicted Lineup: Alisson; Frimpong, Gomez, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Barcola; Koumas.

• LASK have lost both previous meetings with Liverpool by a combined 7-1.
• LASK are winless in their last four competitive matches.
• Liverpool have kept three clean sheets in seven Premier League and Champions League games.
• Both teams have scored in three of Liverpool’s seven games across those two competitions.
• LASK have conceded in each of their last four competitive matches.
• Liverpool have won only two of their six Premier League games.

I’m backing Liverpool, but I’m not expecting a canter.

Even a rotated XI has far more quality than anything LASK face in Austria, and Florian Wirtz can win this on his own if he’s in the mood. I don’t see LASK holding out for 90 minutes.

Plenty of previews are tipping a Liverpool clean sheet. I can’t get there.

Liverpool will likely field a reshuffled back four in an early kickoff, three days after a draining loss to City, against a side that scored five past Celtic in this stadium seven weeks ago. LASK will get chances, especially from set pieces, which is how Flecker beat them in 2023.

Liverpool’s defence hasn’t been watertight either. They conceded twice at Newcastle and twice more at home to Nottingham Forest in their first two league games of the season, and I’d expect LASK to go after a reshuffled back line from the first whistle rather than wait for chances.

I’ll admit there’s a version of this where Liverpool’s injured attackers recover in time and it turns into a rout. I just doubt Liverpool will risk them with Brentford on Saturday.

I’m going 3-1 Liverpool.

Liverpool to Win and Both Teams to Score @ $2.60

LASK scored five past Celtic and four past Ried in Linz in August.

Liverpool have conceded in four of their seven games across the Premier League and Champions League. A second-string back line won’t tighten things up.

There’s also the shape of Liverpool’s wins to consider. They edged Atletico 2-1 in their league-phase opener, and their attack isn’t clicking well enough right now to blow LASK away.

I’d grab the $2.60 with any of the best legal sports betting sites before team news drops.